


They Say Lover That You've Changed

by die_traumerei



Series: Sing Home and Be Free [1]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Bucky Barnes - Freeform, Cuddles, Established Relationship, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, chubby!bucky, some fatphobic comments, steve rogers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-16 12:35:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3488492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/die_traumerei/pseuds/die_traumerei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A reporter asks some choice questions about Bucky's physique. In which Steve is still a bundle of protective rage, Bucky rolls his eyes a lot, and Tony Stark knows how to gracefully end a press conference.</p>
            </blockquote>





	They Say Lover That You've Changed

**Author's Note:**

> This story was HEAVILY influenced by faun-songs' [gorgeous drawings of Bucky Barnes with a bit of pudge to him](http://faun-songs.tumblr.com/post/110561113255/bucky-is-prone-to-keeping-their-chub-and-no-one). And the general existence of chubby!Bucky. Really, it's just a sweet little amuse-bouche in between working on longer fics.
> 
> Hope you enjoy...
> 
> Possible trigger warnings: There are some slightly nasty fatphobic comments/assumptions about weight gain at the beginning of the story (said by a non-Avengers character).

“Yes, I have a question for Sergeant Barnes?”

“Go ahead,” Bucky said, nodding at the young woman.

“You look...considerably different than you did when you first reunited with Steve Rogers,” she said, and Bucky raised an eyebrow. He could _feel_ Steve planning to do something stupid next to him. And Steve wasn't allowed to do  reckless shit anymore unless Bucky could join in. “How has that affected your relationship?”

“I'm sorry,” Bucky said smoothly, one hand clamping down _very firmly_ on Steve's thigh. “I don't entirely understand. Could you explain your question a little more?”

“Well...to be frank, Sergeant, you've put on more than a little weight. Has that affected your relationship with Captain Rogers any, and can you tell us how you plan to drop the extra pounds?”

“His relationship with Captain Rogers is _absolutely fine_ ,” Steve interrupted, words coming through gritted teeth. 

“Thank you, but I believe the question was for me,” Bucky said, and gave the woman a smile. One that glittered. “Steve and I are very much in love, not that it's anyone's business but ours. And I don't have any plans to lose weight. Thank you.”

“Well, I think that's enough for today!” Tony said cheerfully. “Thank you, and remember you can follow us on Twitter and on the hashtag #avengers, see you folks next month for another round of questions, bye!”

Tony had gotten really good at ending press conferences since Steve and Bucky had started attending them.

 

***

 

Bucky had learned a vast number of things about himself since he'd been reunited with Steve. So many of them had him waking screaming in the night, but one that didn't was a simple fact:  n ot being twenty-six and no longer being half-starving  meant that, naturally, Bucky carried rather more than the  incredibly low body fat he'd prev iously sported . He  finally  had enough to eat for, if not the first time in his life, the first time in a very long time.  A nd some of that had settled  as a comfortable softness  on top of the considerable muscle he  _had_ retained.

He'd gained the weight slowly. Bucky had had to learn how to eat properly again, his body adjusting to real food and a decided lack of methamphetamines and the other substances Hydra had made him dependent on. He had to learn to be hungry again, and Steve had delighted in taking him all over the city to find his favorites. It was only when he noticed that Steve was cuddling up to him every given chance, that he finally asked what on earth was going on.

“You're, um. Really nice. To hug.” he said, and Bucky had paused, blinked, and burst out laughing. And that settled that.

Except apparently not.

“What the everloving _fuck_ was that?” Steve asked, as soon as they were back in the tower. Tony and Clint had mysteriously vanished as soon as humanly possible. Bucky vowed to hate them for at least the next forty-eight hours. “Where the hell does she get off asking you something like that?”

“Welcome to the twenty-first century, Steve,” Bucky said patiently.

“Who _says_ that?  I mean, who says that at any point? To _anyone_?” Steve's voice was scaling up  in his outrage.

“The same people who ask you all the tactical questions, and then ask Nat about her hair-care regime,” Bucky said, putting the kettle on. Some coffee would be nice. Not that Steve needed the caffeine, but still.

“Yeah, funny how they stopped when Thor said he'd be taking all those questions,” Steve said, digging around in the fridge. “Hey, do we still have any hummus?”

“Second shelf down on the right. And hey, remember that time Nat's hair-care regime _was_ our tactic?” Bucky sighed and smiled, and filled the French press. “Good times.”

“Mmm. Stop distracting me.” Steve hooked his chin on Bucky's shoulder, reaching over him for a box of crackers. “I can't believe...why the fuck would I love you _any_ less, just because you look different? If we're gonna go there, people should be askin' you the same thing!”

“It's not that I look different, it's that I look _fatter_ , and you know it,” Bucky said. “It's 'cause people are morons and they suck. Next question?” He made enough coffee for one. Steve didn't need the energy, clearly.

“Oh, fuck off.” Steve scowled. “You know that's bullshit, right?”

“Steve, I have a mirror. I'm hot. Also you never _stop_ telling me how attractive you find me. Also I won  Male Pinup of the Year for Out magazine last month.”

Steve frowned. “How are you so calm about this?”

“Because I've got you to get angry for me. Also, frankly, it makes a nice change from being asked if I'm going to snap and murder everyone in their beds.”

Steve stilled, and then carefully put his arms around Bucky, burying his head in Bucky's shoulder.

“Stevie? Hey, no, I shouldn'ta said that. Go back to yelling,” Bucky said, turning around and looping his arms around Steve's waist.

“No,” Steve said, voice muffled.

“Steve...”

“You're mean. I had a _great_ rant going and you had to go and be all...you.”

Bucky laughed, and nudged Steve's face up to kiss him. “Aw. Sorry not sorry.”

“I just...Jesus Christ. You're _gorgeous_. I love you. Why is this apparently a thing people don't believe?”

“I told you, people are morons. Hey, does it really matter?” Bucky asked. “Other than raising your blood pressure.”

“Yeah. It does.” Steve looked up. “It's not right. To decide that because someone gained weight, someone else would stop loving them. It's not fucking right, and they have no right to imply that...that being less than some superhuman perfect thing that came out of a _bottle_ is wrong or bad.”

“Hey, no, the best parts of you--”

“Did not come out of a bottle, I know. I'm saying the part of me that...that's just how I _look_ , that shouldn't be the part of me people pay all the attention to,” Steve said. “You loved me when I was skinny and sick all the time, and a pain in the ass."

“Steve, you're a pain in the ass now, too,” Bucky said, and grinned. “Look. You've got a point. And it does kind of bother me, although clearly not as much as it bothers you. So let me film you getting all rant-y later and we'll upload it to Sam's account and break YouTube again. Sound good?”

“Sounds good. Why later, though?”

Bucky rolled his eyes, and slid his hands down to cup Steve's ass, pulling him closer. Coffee could be reheated. More important things needed seeing to. “'Cause my boyfriend getting righteously angry gets me going. God help me.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Bucky leaned in and kissed Steve, long and sweet and soft. “And he's been yellin' at me about how gorgeous I am and how he loves me.”

“You are, and I do.”

“Well, maybe I wanna sweet-talk you, too.” Bucky rolled his hips just to hear Steve whine. “See that gorgeous body of yours. Maybe I wanna love on you, for always having my back.”

Steve moaned, and was heavy in Bucky's arms for a moment, leaning against him.

“Bed,” Bucky said firmly, starting to walk them out of the kitchen. “Don't feel like carrying you.”

“Why are you still wearing clothes?” Steve whined, tugging at Bucky's shirt.

“Oh, Captain, the _romance_ ,” Bucky teased in between kisses and reaching his hand down the back of Steve's jeans and oh for fuck's sake. Only Steve could practically collapse just from Bucky squeezing his ass. “God, you're hopeless,” he said, and slung Steve over one shoulder, marching down the hall to their bedroom.

“Your fault,” Steve announced from where his face was pressed into Bucky's flank. “Hurry up, I wanna get you naked.”

“I'm _hurrying_ , jeez.” Bucky walked extra-slow for a few steps, until he worked out that he was just punishing himself as well, and then he really _did_ hurry for the bedroom.

 

* * *

 

Afterwards, Steve wrapped around him like he was still five-foot-and-change, and rested his head on Bucky's chest, just over his heart. “You feel nice,” he murmured, laying a kiss just at the tip of Bucky's sternum, right where his belly started to round out a bit.

“Heh. That woulda been a good answer, wouldn't it?” Bucky said fondly, running his hand down Steve's back. “I'm actually comfortable to cuddle with, ma'am, whereas Captain Rogers is like hugging a brick wall.”

“Never heard you complain before,” Steve said, pinching Bucky's side.

“Ow! Not complaining. Just stating a fact.” Bucky grinned, and tilted Steve's chin up. “Lucky for you I like throwing myself at brick walls.”

“That is an argument I will bring up later.” Steve snuggled closer, eyes falling shut. “Mmm. Sleep time now.”

“Sleep time now,” Bucky agreed. “Break the internet later.”

“You promise me the best things,” Steve mumbled, and fell asleep curled tight around his lover.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I cannot overstate how much comments, kudos and bookmarks mean to me :)
> 
> And hey, come hang out on tumblr: dietraumerei.tumblr.com


End file.
